Random installation carpet tiles

ABSTRACT

Carpet tiles having patterns and color schemes that obviate the need to orient the tiles relative to each other. The tiles exhibit orthogonal ambiguity, meaning that they may be laid in any side-by-side orientation with respect to adjacent tiles without looking out of place to the ordinary viewer and thereby still achieving an appearance of continuity like broadloom carpet. Each tile has patterns of shapes having some straight sides and that appear to be randomly positioned but oriented with some straight sides parallel to carpet tile sides. The shapes are formed from a color or combination of colors so that adjacent shapes on each tile have at least one color in common. Furthermore, each tile has at least one color in common with every other tile, so that when the tiles are laid, the colors on adjacent tiles coordinate. All of the colors have similar intensities so that no one color will significantly stand out from the other colors. Moreover, because the pattern on each tile appears random, placement of the tiles on the floor in any side-by-side orientation simply creates a larger, apparently random pattern, rendering it impossible for any tile to look out of place.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/417,630, filed Apr. 16, 2003, which claims thebenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/783,354, filed Feb. 14,2001, both of which applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to carpet tiles and a method ofdesigning carpet tiles having patterns and color schemes that allow forplacement of the carpet tiles in any orientation with respect toadjacent carpet tiles while still achieving the appearance of broadloomcarpet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, proper placement of carpet tiles has been necessary togive the appearance of seamless broadloom carpet or at least theappearance of a carpet tile installation in which tiles are not out ofplace or misplaced. Conventional carpet tiles, particularly includingtufted, fusion bonded, or woven face carpet tiles, normally have a“direction” as a result of (1) the pattern on the tiles and/or (2) themanufacturing process.

After the carpet web is cut into the tiles, the tiles must be orientedon the floor so that their pattern aligns with the patterns on adjacenttiles or with the appearance of adjacent tiles. Most carpet tiles aresquare. If a first carpet tile is placed on the floor, a second tile maybe placed in four different positions relative to each side of the firsttile by placing the second tile adjacent to each of the four sides ofthe first tile and in four different orientations by rotating the secondtile in 90 degree increments relative to the first carpet tile. In onlyone of the second tile's four rotational positions is the second tileoriented in the same “direction” as the first tile, so that both tilesare in the same rotational orientation as they were relative to eachother in the carpet web from which they were cut or as they came off ofthe carpet producing machine. Moreover, some patterns used on carpettiles require that the second tile be placed only adjacent to aparticular side or sides of the first tile, rather than adjacent to anyof the four sides of the first tile.

Furthermore, because of the manufacturing process, even solid colortiles without any pattern usually have a nap orientation or “direction.”Additionally, minor variations in color require that carpet tiles in aparticular installation all use yarn dyed in the same dye lot to avoidvisually discernable differences between adjacent carpet tiles resultingfrom variations in dying.

Therefore, not only must the patterns of adjacent tiles be aligned,adjacent tiles must be placed so that the nap is oriented in the samedirection, and it is frequently necessary to insure that adjacent tiles,and sometimes all tiles in a particular installation, were dyed or havefiber dyed at the same time. If one carpet tile in an installation isoriented improperly with respect to adjacent carpet tiles, it is usuallyreadily apparent that the tile has been misplaced, thereby destroyingthe appearance of continuity of pattern, nap, and color of the entirecarpet tile installation. The carpet installer, therefore, must spendvaluable time during installation ensuring proper orientation of thetiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention addresses the above-described problems by providingcarpet tiles and a method of making carpet tiles having patterns andcolor schemes that obviate the need to orient the tiles (with respect topattern or nap) relative to each other and that generally eliminate theneed to match tiles as to dye lot. Instead, the tiles exhibit orthogonalambiguity, meaning that tiles may be laid in any side-by-sideorientation with respect to adjacent tiles without looking out of placeto the ordinary viewer and thereby still achieving an appearance ofcontinuity across the entire installation as if the tiles were part of abroadloom web.

—“Orthogonally ambiguous” tiles must be positioned in one of sixteenpositions relative to each other tile. Such positioning is achieved byrotating adjacent tiles in ninety degree increments relative to eachother. A “rotational position indeterminate” carpet web pattern can beimaged in which any tile can be cut from the web in any rotationalposition relative to any other tile cut from the web, including arotational position displaced by other than ninety degree increments(e.g. forty-five degrees). However, cutting tiles from a web at suchorientations would generally produce substantial waste and beimpractical.

The orthogonally ambiguous tiles of this invention are produced by firstproducing a carpet web having a pattern exhibiting the characteristicsdescribed herein and then cutting the web into tiles in the conventionalways that tiles are typically cut from a carpet web produced for thatpurpose. The web has a pattern of shapes having at least some straightedges that will parallel the tile edges but that appear to be randomlyoriented and positioned within the pattern. The shapes are formed from acolor or combination of colors so that adjacent shapes on each tile haveat least one color in common. Furthermore, each tile always has at leastone color in common with every other tile, so that when the tiles arelaid, the colors on adjacent tiles coordinate. All of the colorstypically should have similar intensities so that no one colorsignificantly stands out from the other colors.

Because the pattern on each tile appears random, placement of the tileson the floor in any orientation simply creates a larger, apparentlyrandom pattern, rendering it impossible for any tile to look out ofplace. Such randomness masks the visual effects of having adjacentcarpet tiles with misaligned or differently-oriented naps and also masksslight color variations resulting from dye lot differences. Thepresence, within the pattern, of shapes with edges parallel to the edgesof the tile insures that, if the shapes are partitioned when the web iscut into tiles, the partitioned shapes will not appear out of place,since the shapes of the pattern already include elements, havingstraight edges parallel to at least one of the tile edges, similar tothe partitioned shapes, which have a straight edge defined by thestraight edge of a panel. Given the apparent randomness of the patternand color scheme, worn or soiled tiles in a particular installation mayeasily be replaced with an unused tile without the new tile looking asdramatically different from the remaining tiles as often results withtiles with conventional patterns.

It is thus an object of this invention to provide carpet tiles that maybe laid in any orientation with respect to each other and still achievethe appearance of a continuous piece of broadloom carpet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in color.Copies of this patent with color drawing(s) will be provided by thePatent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the necessaryfee.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a carpet tile web produced in accordancewith one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of two carpet tiles produced in accordancewith this invention positioned in a first orientation relative to eachother.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the two carpet tiles illustrated in FIG. 2with one of the tiles rotated ninety degrees from the orientationillustrated in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a carpet web 22 having a pattern consistent with thisinvention. Longitudinal partition lines 24-26 and horizontal partitionlines 27-30 show how the web 22 may be partitioned into twentyindividual carpet tiles 1-20. A number of factors contribute to theorthogonal ambiguity of each carpet tile, including pattern shapes andarrangement and shape colors.

The pattern produced on web 22 produces tiles with shapes that appearrandomly positioned on the tile. Only shapes having certaincharacteristics are usable. First, at least some of the shapes must havestraight sides parallel to the “machine” and “cross-machine” directionof the web 22, and therefore parallel to the tile edges. For instance,shape 32 in FIG. 1 has a straight side 34 parallel to longitudinalpartition line 24 and therefore parallel to the edge of tile 1 that willbe defined by longitudinal partition line 24. Similarly, shape 32 has astraight side 36 parallel to horizontal partition line 27, and it, too,will parallel the edge of tile 1 that will be defined by horizontalpartition line 27. Partition line 24 will pass through and partitionshape 32, thereby resulting in a portion of shape 32 ending up on eachof tile 1 and 2. The straight edge of shape 32 that will appear on eachof tile 1 and 2 will not appear to be out of place.

Size of the shapes within the pattern is also important, as is lateralposition of the shapes within the web. The shapes must generally besmall enough so that several shapes will end up positioned within eachtile. Otherwise, the fraction or fractions of larger shapes falling on aparticular carpet tile would potentially look odd. Shapes should bepositioned laterally within the web so that longitudinal partition lines24, 25, and 26 do not partition a shape so that an oddly narrow portionfalls on one of the tiles.

Each tile preferably has the same background color. At least one color,different from the background color, is used to form the shapes on thetile. Regardless of how many colors are used, all of the colors shouldhave similar intensities so that no one color significantly stands outfrom the other colors. Note that multiple shapes may be, and preferablyshould be, formed on each tile. It is important, however, that eachshape have at least one color in common with adjacent shapes on thetile. Use of multiple shapes and colors contributes to the apparentrandom quality of the pattern, thereby making an installation of suchtiles appear to be continuous without regard to the orthogonalorientation of the tiles within the installation.

While the adjacent shapes of each tile have at least one color incommon, additionally, each tile preferably has at least one color incommon (in addition to the background color) with every other tile, sothat when the tiles are laid, the colors on adjacent tiles willcoordinate.

Because the pattern on each tile appears random, placement of the tileson the floor in any orientation simply creates a larger, apparentlyrandom pattern, rendering it impossible for any tile to look out ofplace. Such apparent randomness obviates the need to align the nap or“direction” of adjacent tiles, as misaligned naps further enhance therandom appearance of the carpeting. Such randomness also masks colorvariation resulting from dye lot differences.

In summary, the “rules” for creating a pattern in accordance with thisinvention are:

-   -   1. Utilization of a background color for the entire web from        which tiles will be cut.    -   2. Utilization of a pattern of shapes on the web formed by        colors of approximately the same intensity as the background        color and each other.    -   3. Utilization of shapes small enough for several to appear on        each tile.    -   4. Utilization of shapes having straight edges parallel to the        tile edges.    -   5. Utilization of a pattern causing each tile cut from the web        to have at least 1 color in common with each other tile.

The carpet web 22 shown in FIG. 1 practices these rules and may beformed by a conventional carpet tufting machine. For example, a tuftingmachine having two rows of needles may be used. One row of needles maybe threaded up with a single background color that is present across theentire carpet web 22. The second row of needles may be threaded withyarns of other colors as described below. The pattern of shapes iscreated on the carpet web by controlling the height of the yarn. Thefarther the yarn is pushed through the primary backing, the greater itsheight in the finished carpet tile and the more predominant the color ofthe yarn is to the ordinary observer. In the pattern shown in FIG. 1,the background yarn A tufts have a uniform height across their entirepattern, so that at least some background yarn A is visible in all areasof the pattern, and some areas show only background yarn A.

For ease of manufacture, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the colorscheme of the carpet web 22 is symmetrical about the longitudinalpartition line (and also longitudinal axis) 25 of the carpet web 22.This means that the two side-by-side tiles 1 and 2 on one side of aproduction line can be boxed together, while the two side-by-side tiles3 and 4 on the other side of the production line can be boxed together,and all boxes will have the same proportions of tiles having aparticular color combination. This symmetry would not be necessary iftiles from the entire line were used to fill all of the boxes or otherpackages of tiles produced together.

The background color A (in this instance, yellow) is tufted over theentirety of the carpet web 22. The patterns of the outer portions BC ofthe web 22 are further formed from alternating colors B and C (lightgreen and dark green, respectively, in this embodiment). Directlyadjacent the outer portions BC, the patterns of middle portions CD arefurther formed from alternating colors C and D (dark green and blue,respectively, in this embodiment). Finally, the patterns of centerportion DE are further formed from alternating colors D and E (blue andpurple, respectively, in this embodiment).

While the carpet web 22 may be divided into any number of tiles, thecarpet web 22 of FIG. 1 is divided into tiles 1-20 so that at least partof each tile has the color schemes of at least two of the portions—BC,CD, and DE. For example, outer portion BC and middle portion CD make uptile 1. In this embodiment, the shapes of tile 1 are made from: (1) thebackground color A only; (2) the background color A and color B only;(3) the background color A and color C only; (4) the background color A,color B, and color C; (5) the background color A and color D only; and(6) the background color A, color C, and color D. In this way, adjacentshapes of each tile have at least one common color.

Moreover, adjacent tiles have at least one color in common (in additionto the background color). For example, tile 1 and tile 2 have both colorC and color D in common. When the tiles are placed on the floor,therefore, the colors on these adjacent tiles blend to facilitate theappearance of continuity.

The foregoing is provided for the purpose of illustrating, explainingand describing embodiments of the present invention. Furthermodifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent tothose skilled in the art and may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims. Forinstance, different shapes and sizes of shapes than those illustratedcan be used. Similarly, a wide variety of color combinations arepossible. Furthermore, while the embodiment described above is tufted,the face fabric could also be woven on a conventional or computercontrolled Jacquard or other loom, and the face fabric could be fusionbonded or formed in other manners. This invention could also be used formodular flooring or surface covering materials other than carpet tile,such as vinyl tile.

1-26. (canceled)
 65. Carpet tiles comprising textile faces havingpatterns, wherein, when the tiles are assembled on a flooring surface sothat each tile is adjacent to and abuts at least one other tile, thetiles may be laid in any side-by-side orientation with respect toadjacent tiles without pattern alignment between adjacent tiles andwithout looking out of place to the ordinary viewer.
 66. The carpettiles of claim 65, wherein the tiles have tufted faces.
 67. The carpettiles of claim 65, wherein the tiles have woven faces.
 68. The carpettiles of claim 65, wherein the tiles have fusion bonded faces.
 69. Thecarpet tiles of claim 65, wherein each tile has a pattern comprising abackground color and a first color different from the background color.70. The carpet tiles of claim 69, wherein the background color and thefirst color have similar intensities.
 71. The carpet tiles of claim 69,wherein the pattern comprises shapes, at least one of which shapes isformed by at least one straight line.
 72. The carpet tiles of claim 71,wherein adjacent shapes comprise at least one common color.
 73. Thecarpet tiles of claim 71, wherein the at least one straight line isoriented parallel to a carpet tile edge.
 74. The carpet tiles of claim71, wherein at least one shape comprises only the background color. 75.The carpet tiles of claim 71, wherein a least one shape comprises thebackground color and the first color.
 76. The carpet tiles of claim 71,wherein the pattern further comprises a second color different from thebackground color and the first color.
 77. The carpet tiles of claim 76,wherein the background color, the first color, and the second color havesimilar intensities.
 78. The carpet tiles of claim 76, wherein at leastone shape comprises only the background color and the second color. 79.The carpet tiles of claim 76, wherein at least one shape comprises thebackground color, the first color, and the second color.
 80. The carpettiles of claim 76, wherein the pattern further comprises a third colordifferent from the background color, the first color, and the secondcolor.
 81. The carpet tiles of claim 80, wherein the background color,the first color, the second color, and the third color have similarintensities.
 82. The carpet tiles of claim 80, wherein at least oneshape comprises only the background color and the third color.
 83. Thecarpet tiles of claim 80, wherein at least one shape comprises only thebackground color, the second color, and the third color. 84.Floorcovering comprising at least two carpet tiles of claim 65positioned side-by-side.
 85. Floorcovering comprising at least twocarpet tiles of claim 65 positioned side-by-side wherein each tilecomprises a pattern formed by a background color and at least two colorsdifferent from the background color, wherein the background color and atleast one of the at least two colors different from the background colorare the same for the at least two carpet tiles.
 86. The floorcovering ofclaim 85, wherein the pattern on each of the at least two carpet tilescomprises shapes, at least one shape on each of the at least two carpettiles having a straight side.
 87. The floorcovering of claim 86, whereinadjacent shapes on each of the at least two carpet tiles comprise atleast one common color.
 88. The carpet tiles of claim 65, wherein thetiles are square.
 89. The carpet tiles of claim 65, wherein each tilecomprises tile edges and each tile face comprises a pattern with atleast one rectangular shape.
 90. The carpet tiles of claim 89, whereinthe at least one rectangular shape comprises a shape edge parallel to atleast one edge of the tile on which the at least one rectangular shapeappears.
 91. The carpet tiles of claim 90, wherein the at least onerectangular shape comprises shape edges parallel to a first pair ofopposed edges of the tile on which the at least one rectangular shapeappears and shape edges parallel to a second pair of opposed edges ofthe tile on which the at least one rectangular shape appears.
 92. Amethod of producing the floorcovering of claim 84 comprising: (a)forming carpet tiles, wherein, when the tiles are assembled on aflooring surface so that each tile is adjacent to and abuts at least oneother tile, the tiles may be laid in any side-by-side orientation withrespect to adjacent tiles without pattern alignment between adjacenttiles and without looking out of place to the ordinary viewer; and (b)positioning the carpet tiles side-by-side on a flooring surface in anyside-by-side or rotational orientation relative to each other.
 93. Amethod of producing the carpet tiles of claim 65 comprising formingcarpet tiles, wherein, when the tiles are assembled on a flooringsurface so that each tile is adjacent to and abuts at least one othertile, the tiles may be laid in any side-by-side orientation with respectto adjacent tiles without pattern alignment between adjacent tiles andwithout looking out of place to the ordinary viewer.
 94. The method ofclaim 93, wherein the carpet tiles are formed by designing a pattern fora carpet web, producing the carpet web with the pattern, and cutting thecarpet web into the tiles.
 95. The method of claim 94, wherein thepattern for the carpet web is designed by: a. selecting a backgroundcolor for the carpet web; b. using a plurality of colors, including thebackground color, to form shapes on the carpet web; and c. designing andpositioning the shapes on the carpet web so that at least one shape hasat least one straight side parallel to an edge of the carpet web andadjacent shapes have at least one common color.
 96. The method of claim94, wherein the carpet web is produced using a tufting machine.
 97. Themethod of claim 93, wherein the carpet tiles are formed by printing apattern on the tiles.
 98. An assembly of side-by-side carpet tiles ofclaim 65, each of which tiles has a textile face comprising a patternnot identical to any other tile of the assembly, the patterns havingshapes and colors rendering the appearance of the tiles continuousacross the assembly so that no tile looks out of place or out ofposition in any place or position in the assembly.
 99. A carpet tileinstallation comprising a plurality of carpet tiles positioned inabutting positions, the tiles comprising textile tile faces havingpatterns that provide an appearance of continuity without patternalignment between adjacent tiles and without any tile looking out ofplace in any position or orientation in the installation.
 100. Aplurality of carpet tiles for installation as a floorcovering, the tilescomprising textile faces having patterns that provide an appearance ofcontinuity without pattern alignment between adjacent tiles and withoutany tile looking out of place when the tiles are installed so that eachtile is adjacent to and abuts at least one other tile but without regardto side-by-side orientation or location.
 101. A carpet tile installationcomprising a plurality of orthogonally ambiguous carpet tiles withoutpattern alignment between tiles.
 102. Floorcovering comprising aplurality of orthogonally ambiguous, textile faces without patternalignment between faces.
 103. An undivided textile fabric web that canbe divided into square modules and reassembled without regard to moduleposition or rotational orientation to produce a reassembled web thatpresents substantially the same visual appearance as the undivided web.